To facilitate the piloting of the aircraft, and to give the pilot global information about the structure of the terrain situated opposite the aircraft, it is known to generate synthetic images of the landscape around the aircraft, in particular from topographical databases, based on the current position of the aircraft determined by the navigation system of the aircraft.
The synthetic images generally comprise a synthetic surface depiction of the terrain. Such a display system allows the operator to see the relief that may be found around the aircraft, and may also make it possible for the operator to move the point on which the image is centered in order to view terrain zones located around the position of the aircraft, or to resolve an ambiguity.
The synthetic images are for example three-dimensional images, showing the trajectory of the aircraft and the surrounding terrain according to a first type of perspective making it possible to provide the operator or a pilot with a clear depiction of the situation of the aircraft relative to its environment. Such images make it possible to improve the operator's awareness of the situation and simplify his decision-making process, in particular by preventing the operator from having to mentally reconstruct the necessary three-dimensional information from images seen from above and the side.
The synthetic images can also be seen according to a second type of perspective, for example vertical and/or horizontal views of the trajectory of the aircraft, i.e., top or side views of that trajectory. Such images are for example two-dimensional. Such images are more particularly suitable for precision activities, in particular for viewing the vertical trajectory of the aircraft during an ascent or descent phase, or to redefine the passage points of the flight plan.